


To Make a House a Home (With These Hands of Mine)

by BattyIntentions



Series: Home is Where the Heart is [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: BDSM, Clonecest, Dom/sub, Domestic Fluff, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lance takes care of them, Lance/Three Shiro Clones, Lingerie, M/M, Multi, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, The Clones Have PTSD, Trauma Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-01-15 06:51:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18493651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattyIntentions/pseuds/BattyIntentions
Summary: Lance's vacation was supposed to be...well...a vacation. Instead, it becomes a rescue and recovery mission as the discovery of three clones sends his break onto a surprising new path. With new house guests and new responsibilities, Lance finds himself falling in love and into trouble as he struggles to keep their existence a secret from the Galactic Coalition.





	1. A Vacation that Was Never Meant to be

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Lance's Home for Wayward Shiro's by DefendersofMCUniverse (GeekMom13) and Vixen13 located here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17874419/chapters/42187640
> 
> Check it out if you get the chance!

To say that Lance wasn’t irritated would have been a total lie. He was, in fact, very upset with the robots Pidge had made him for keeping his farm running and his animals well taken care of while he was off on diplomatic missions and handling coalition duties. They had managed to let all of the food in his house go bad when he had specifically asked them to ensure that he had food when he came back. He couldn’t really be mad though because they had done well with his animals. None of them had gone hungry or been hurt in his absence. They were as happy and healthy as always. His fridge was just barren now that he had cleaned out everything that had spoiled and molded in his absence. Lance sighed and sent the two robots to feed the animals and grabbed his bayard and his jacket. So much for relaxing at home after finishing his last meeting before he could officially take his vacation. Oh well. At the very least, he got to take a trip to one of his favorite intergalactic markets. He could get food there and maybe a few little gifts for his niece and nephew. Lance headed out to his hangar where Blue and his smaller ship were docked. Blue purred in his mind, curious about why he was leaving again so soon after coming home. He replied with a mental image of the market and her excitement rushed into him. Lance chuckled and headed over from his smaller craft to Blue. No sense in leaving her when she wanted to go too. He could just cloak her.

The flight didn’t take long at all and soon they were at the enormous marketplace of Xilu. It was a beautiful, open air market where all manner of goods were sold. Shopping for groceries was pretty quick and Lance packed everything safely away in Blue and left to explore once more. He was looking at the beautiful necklaces an Okari woman was selling when a far too familiar scream reached his ears. It was faint, distant, and Lance found himself running to it, deeper and deeper into the marketplace towards the seedier area where less than legal deals went down. He ran and ran, heart pounding in his chest. Shiro. That scream had been Shiro’s, he was almost certain of it. Another scream rang out, this time unmistakably Shiro’s and close. Lance took off, chasing the scream down as more and more pained cries reached his ears. He froze instantly and stayed hidden behind a corner as he finally reached the source, hearing two men laughing harshly and soft, pained whimpers.

“See? All it takes is a solid whipping and he’s docile and obedient all over again. Nothing to it.”

“And here I thought a clone of the Champion would have more fight.”

“Oh he used to. I beat it out of him a long time ago. It was easy.” Both laughed again and Lance peeked around the corner. A long haired clone of Shiro was curled up on the ground, back bleeding and trembling at the feet of the two aliens. He had ears and a tail that reminded Lance of a cow’s and it took him a second to realize that they were real, not just some costume or decoration. The red alien with four arms smirked and put a foot down on top of the clone’s bleeding back, drawing another pained cry from him. “So, would you like to rent him? He’s the last one I have available for the day.” Lance scowled and his bayard transformed into his blaster. He didn’t hesitate to shoot both men, though the shots weren’t fatal. The clone on the ground screamed and curled up into an even smaller ball, covering his head and sobbing softly. The buyer scurried away but Lance didn’t let him escape, shooting him again to stun him and turning his rage on the one that had been trying to sell the clone. He put his blaster up against his head and scowled.

“Now, I can control the fatality of my weapon’s blasts. You and your little buddy only got a taste. I can do _much_ worse. You’re going to answer a couple of questions for me. Right here. Right now. Understand?” The alien nodded. “Good. You said he was your last clone. How many others do you have? Where are they?”

“I-I have three, the other two are being used r-right now.”

“Where?” He pushed the bayard harder against his temple.

“The locations are on this.” He fumbled and pulled out a data pad, handing it to Lance. He snatched it and pocketed it before knocking him out. Lance could deal with him in a second. He had more pressing matters to attend to. The clone was still curled up in a ball, shaking like a leaf in the wind and trying to smother his cries. Lance gently reached out and started to pet through his hair. The man jolted into sitting up, scrambling back from Lance in fright.

“Hey, hey, you’re okay now. You’re safe. My name is Lance. I’m here to rescue you. Nobody else will ever hurt you again, I swear.” His tears started up again and the man threw himself at Lance, clinging to him in a desperate hug. Lance whispered gentle reassurances as he cradled the man in his arms, grunting a little at the weight of him in his lap but not minding it at all. The clone gently tucked his face in Lance’s neck and sniffled as Lance petted through his hair. “Do you have Shiro’s memories?” A soft shake of his head. The clone didn’t have his memories. “My name is Lance and I am a Paladin of Voltron and a diplomat in the Galactic Coalition. I want to help you and take care of you. Is that okay?” A nod from the man in his lap. “I pilot the Blue Lion. She’s very kind and will protect you as well. You will be safe with her. I’m going to call her now so we can get out of this place. He’s coming with us so I can take him to the authorities for trafficking sentient beings. He won’t be anywhere near you and won’t be able to harm you anymore. I just need you to stay strong for me for just a little while longer, okay? Then he’ll be gone and you’ll never see him again,” Lance whispered to him, pressing a kiss to his temple as the clone whimpered, nodding softly. He would try. “Blue is coming now, okay?” The man nodded, clinging tighter. Blue was there in seconds, landing in the ship yard nearby with no regard for the ships she crushed. Lance helped him to his feet, putting his arm around his waist and steadying him. “There we go, you’re doing so well,” he praised softly as they started to walk to her. The clone’s trembling grew worse the closer they grew to Blue though and Lance stopped. “Are you...Are you scared of her?” he asked gently and the man bit his lip before nodding. Okay, Lance could work with that. “Can you trust me?” He nodded and Lance took his hand, holding it out. Blue lowered herself and the man in Lance’s grasps yelped, pushing back against him as Lance shifted to stand behind him, keeping his hand outstretched. He placed it against Blue’s nose and the man yelped in fright, eyes screwed close as he waited to be hurt. Lance felt it the second Blue gently formed a bond with him. It wasn’t a Paladin bond, it was an empathetic one that would allow them to communicate even if he wouldn’t be able to fly her. The clone’s eyes widened in shock and he gently petted where his hand was. He looked back at Lance and Lance smiled softly. “See? Blue’s nice.”

Blue purred in his head and opened up for them. Lance guided him inside and to the bunks within Blue, helping him lay down in one of the beds. His back was still bleeding profusely and Lance took the time to bandage his wounds. He would have to get him to a healing pod soon. Where he was taking the trafficker would have one, he just had to keep him comfortable and from bleeding out until then. “I’ll take you to a healing pod once we land, okay? Then your wounds will be all better.” Lance gently petted through the man’s long hair, smiling reassuringly. “I’ll get us in the air.” He left the bunk and headed back outside, dragging his prisoner inside and throwing him in a closet that Blue instantly locked. He wouldn’t be able to escape. Lance checked on his guest again and then headed into the cockpit. He had a criminal to take in, a terrified, traumatized clone to take care of, and two more to find. Looks like his vacation had turned into a rescue mission. One glance back at the man in the bunk outside of his cockpit and Lance knew it was worth it. No matter what troubles arose, it would all be worth it.


	2. One, Two, Three

Blue didn’t take long to reach Matt’s base, landing in the hangar and cooing softly to Lance that the clone had fallen asleep and that his name was Ryou. That was good, now Lance knew how to address him. He carefully went into the bunk and gently shook Ryou awake. The clone bolted up and screamed, backing up against the wall and whimpering. “Hey, hey, shh, you’re okay. It’s just me.” Silver eyes landed on Lance and the clone relaxed, making grabby hands for him that Lance instantly obeyed, gathering the man up into his arms for a hug. “You’re okay. You’re safe,” he soothed as he petted through his hair. Slowly, he could feel the man relaxing in his arms though his trembling didn’t stop. “Better?” A nod. “Good. I’m going to get you to a healing pod and then I’m going to go rescue the others, okay? We’re at a close friend’s base. He will protect you while I’m gone.”

“D-Do you promise?” Ryou asked softly, his terrified, shaky voice piercing Lance’s heart.

“I do. I swear he will. If anything happens that makes you feel unsafe, just call Blue and we’ll come back immediately, okay?” He nodded and clung tighter. Lance helped him out of the bed and onto his feet, heading outside with him and holding the man’s hand the entire time.

“Lance, what a surprise. I didn’t think you’d be swinging by on your break,” Matt said as he greeted him, taking his goggles off and grinning. He froze when he saw Ryou, who let out a startled squeak and hid behind Lance. Matt’s smile dropped as he met Lance’s gaze again.

“We need to borrow your healing pod. I need your help.”

“Is the pod for him?”

“Yeah. Ryou, sweetie, this is Matt. He’s the friend I told you about. We’re going to get you into a healing pod for your back and then I’m going to save the others. He’s a good guy so you don’t have anything to worry about.” The man clung to Lance tighter but peeked at Matt and offered him a small, shy wave. Matt waved back with a soft smile.

“Hi Ryou, it’s nice to meet you. Let’s get your wounds taken care of.” He shot Lance a look that demanded an explanation before leading them deeper into his base. Luckily, they had come at a good time. Hardly anyone was there and certainly not anyone they had to worry about spilling their secret with Matt leading them through his shortcuts. Soon they were at the infirmary and Matt had one of the doctors there prep Ryou for the pod. He whimpered and clung to Lance’s arm as soon as he was in the suit.

“P-Please come back for me? Please? Please don’t leave me alone.” He pleaded and Lance smiled softly, cupping his cheeks.

“Ryou, it’s okay sweetie. I’m coming back for you. I’m coming back, I promise. I’m going to take you home and take care of you. You’ll be free to do and be whoever you like. Nobody will hurt you again.” Lance gently shifted one of his hands to rub at the back of Ryou’s ears, the clone relaxing into the gentle petting. “Think you can be brave for me and let the nice doctor put you in the healing pod?”

“Will you be here when I get out?”

“I’ll try to be.” It wasn’t the promise Ryou was looking for, Lance knew it, but the man nodded all the same and reluctantly pulled away. He kept glancing nervously back at Lance up until he was in the pod and put into stasis for the healing process. Matt wasted no time in taking Lance into his private office, turning on him with a mixture of anger and confusion.

“What the hell man?! That’s a clone! A clone of Shiro! With-With cow features! What happened to him? Where did he even come from?”

“I was at the open air market on Xilu when I heard him screaming. I found him being sold by the guy that owned them and I saved him and threw that scum in one of Blue’s closets. He’s still there. He gave me this when I demanded to know the location of his other clones.” Lance tossed Matt the drive and Matt immediately plugged it into his computer, starting up a decryption software.

“There are more?”

“Two more.” Matt scowled.

“We need to find them. Do you plan on telling the others?”

“No. Shiro and Keith are happy. If they knew he still had clones out there, clones that were being mistreated, well...we both know that they would blame themselves and Shiro would hate himself for it.”

“He couldn’t have known. None of us could have, especially since they destroyed what we thought was the only cloning facility.”

“Yeah, well, telling him that won’t do a thing. Plus there's no telling how people will react if they find out. The Coalition could very well toss them into cells just for being made by Haggar. I can't let that happen.”

“True enough. There, cracked it open.” Dozens of files on different slaves and their current locations popped up and Matt and Lance scowled. That scumbag wasn’t just selling the clones. “I’ll be bringing him in on trafficking charges. He’ll be locked up for the rest of his life and my teams will rescue the rest of the people on this list. The two clones, you and I will save ourselves.”

“So, you’re in then?”

“Yeah. Of course I am.” Two different planets appeared on screen, both not too far from Xilu. “Okay so one of them is being lent to a brothel on Nura and the other is on Yjuk in...in a gladiator pit.” Pure rage settled deep in Lance’s gut.

“Matt, send a team in after I save the clone, okay? That goes for both planets. I want you to stay here. Ryou shouldn’t wake up alone and more than that, if I get caught I can’t have you dragged into my mess. Someone has to save the others if I fail.” The two men glared at each other until Matt relented with a harsh exhale.

“Okay, fine, I’ll stay. Just get them out safely and brought back here. I’ll have two healing pods ready.”

“Thanks.”

“You owe me.”

“I know.” Lance and Matt headed to Blue and Matt dragged Lance’s unconscious _guest_ out and threw him to some of his other officers.

“This guy’s going down for trafficking. I want him locked up in a cell and under constant surveillance.”

“Yes Sir!” They snapped and took him away. Matt glanced to Lance and sighed.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks. Hopefully I won’t need it.” He knew better than that though. He would stop in the pits to rescue that clone and then to the brothel for the final one. There was no way Lance could stand to leave either of them there any longer.


	3. Break Out

Yjuk was a dry, arid planet with the compound and coliseum for the gladiator ring located in one of the planet’s few oasis. It was heavily populated and even more heavily guarded, meaning that the only way for Lance to get in and save the clone was to sneak his way inside. The Blue Paladin crept around outside, looking for any openings or disguises he could use and settling on a cloak hanging off the back of an alien’s ship. He quickly put it on, pulling the hood up to hide his face and slipping through the front door with the crowd as it surged inside. Lance ducked out of sight and started sneaking through the halls in search of the prisoners’ cells. Sentries patrolled the base, keeping Lance constantly on guard as he just barely managed to keep out of sight. He really wished he had a map or something to go off of. That would have made things easier. Lance wandered and searched, looking around desperately for any hint of where the slaves were kept. He got it in the form of someone screaming.

Lance hurried towards the sound, hiding behind a corner and peeking around as he watched a large Galra fighting against the guards. The Galra was a foot or so taller than Shiro, growling and snarling as he fought the guards and the sentry robots that were trying to subdue him. The scream must have come from one of the guards he had already flung down the hallway and knocked unconscious. Fierce silver eyes scanned the hallway and Lance gasped. This was Shiro’s clone. Despite his purple skin and large, fluffy ears, the resemblance was obvious. Lance took out his bayard and started firing on the guards, quickly taking them down with the clone. Together they finished off the guards in a matter of seconds and the clone turned on Lance, growling loudly. Lance made his bayard disappear and held his hands up in a placating manner.

“Hey big guy, it’s okay. You’re okay. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to rescue you.” The Galra stared at Lance in shock, cautiously stepping closer.

“Lance? I-Is that really you?” He pulled the hood down and smiled softly.

“It is. You remember me?”

“Yeah. I have most of Shiro’s memories. Is...Is this real? Are you really here? They didn’t manage to drug me again? Y-You’re not another hallucination?” He asked with a small, scared voice and Lance frowned. He slowly approached the clone, grabbing one of his large hands and gently resting it on his cheek. Lance nuzzled into it and kissed his palm, drawing a gasp from the Galra clone.

“I’m real and I’m really here. Now, let’s get to Blue. We have to save one more clone and then we can head to Ryou. Do you have a name?”

“Kuro. So you have Ryou already? That’s good. Is he somewhere safe?”

“Yeah. He’s with Matt. Let’s get out of here and to Nura.” Lance held his forearm as they started sneaking through the halls for their escape, the Galra clone staying close and looming over him.

“That bastard, Cravek, did you get him too?” Lance scowled.

“He’s in custody with Matt for trafficking now. Matt’s sending his guys in after we’re clear to rescue everyone else and will do the same on Nura.”

“Good.” Kuro swayed a little as they crept down the hall, taking out any sentries that got near them. Something was wrong. Lance knew it. The alarm started to blare and he grabbed Kuro’s hand, giving up on a sneaky exit and racing through the halls with him. He reactivated his bayard and used it to shoot any sentries and guards that got in their way, covering Kuro as the Galra lunged at them and tore through their ranks viciously. They broke through the onslaught and rushed to Blue, running into the Lion and Lance quickly flew away. Several ships followed them and he scowled.

“Hang on!” He maneuvered and dodged around their lasers, using Blue’s ice blasts to take them out until none of the ships remained and they could safely escape. Blue raced off through the stars, heading for Nura. Lance turned on Kuro, frowning as he saw that the clone looked even worse than he had while they had been running. “Kuro, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he huffed out, clearly not fine. Lance got up and went over to him, holding his hands up in his sights so he wouldn’t think he was planning to hurt him. “May I examine you?” Kuro sighed harshly and nodded jerkily. Lance looked him over, biting his lip as he saw the many bleeding wounds that decorated his torso almost as soon as he’d lifted the clone’s shirt. He tossed the ratty fabric off to the side and grabbed his first aid kit.

“I’m going to patch you up and take you back to Matt’s base for a healing pod.”

“No! I’m staying with you and heading to Nura to save Yuu.”

“You’re hurt. I can’t let you fight like this. You could pass out at any moment. You look like you’re barely awake now.” Kuro let out a pained groan as Lance started to bandage his wounds but quickly tried to bite back the noise. It didn’t help and Lance frowned softly, trying to be more gentle as he worked.

“I’m fine,” he repeated stubbornly and Lance’s frown grew.

“You don’t have to go back then. You can go with me to save Yuu, but you have to stay in Blue unless I call for backup. That’s the only way I’ll let you come along. Do we have a deal?” Kuro’s fluffy ears seemed to perk at the offer and Lance couldn’t help but think he was adorable.

“Yeah, we do.” With a soft smile, he finished bandaging the clone and reached out to pet his hair. His hand paused instantly.

“May I pet you?”

“I’m not a pet,” Kuro grumbled, leaning slightly into Lance’s hand regardless of his comment. Taking that as permission, Lance started carding his fingers through his hair and lightly rubbing his ears. He relaxed into the petting and a deep, rumbling sound filled the air. Was...Was he _purring?_ Lance looked down at him in awe as Kuro pressed closer and purred louder. It was absolutely adorable. Lance kept the gentle petting up as he watched Kuro relax into him, the tension draining from his frame with every pass of his fingers through his hair and every rub of his ears. The purring grew softer and soon he could hear soft snoring taking its place. Kuro had fallen asleep against him. Blue alerted Lance to the fact they were close to Nura and Lance gently leaned Kuro back against the chair, laying his emergency shock blanket over him and dropping a soft kiss onto his forehead. He got into the pilot’s chair and urged Blue on. They had one more clone to save. The sooner, the better.


	4. Pet Shop

It didn’t take long for Lance to find the building. It was unassuming on the outside, the only decoration a faded sign advertising it as a pet shop. A scowl flashed over his features and Lance pulled the mask he was wearing up to cover most of his face, leaving only his blue eyes visible. He pulled his hood up and let his cloak close over his armor to hide it. Better safe than sorry after all. The interior of the shop was pretty much what one would expect given the appearance the building had. There were cages all over filled with all sorts of animals and supplies ranging from food and toys scattered about in stacks. There had to be a hidden door somewhere, or maybe a password was needed? Something to get him to where he needed to go. Lance turned his attention to the shopkeeper and headed to the counter. He had one, relatively bad idea.

“I heard you had a clone of the Champion around here. Where is he?” The lizard-like man looked him over before gesturing for Lance to follow him to the back of the store. He placed his hand on a panel of wood and it opened up like a door, revealing a set of stairs leading down into the basement of the building. Lance followed him warily, disgusted as they came out into a long hallway with several rooms. Behind the numbered doors, he could hear moans and screams. It took everything he had not to give away how the noises negatively affected him. At the end of the hallway was a desk with a yellow, slug-like man and that’s where he was led.

“He’s here for number 7,” the gruff lizard alien remarked and the slug held out a hand.

“500 GAC.” Lance handed over the money silently and was given a key in return. “You have a half an hour with him.” He clutched the key tighter and headed towards the room. The lock turned easily and he quickly headed inside, locking the door behind him and freezing. The clone had long, white hair and was covered in scars. Fresh ones were on his hips and thighs, the blood mixing with the cum coating them and still oozing out of him. Someone must have just left. Lance wished he’d found him faster. Those large, white bunny ears twitched and he sat up slowly, his tail fluffy and coated much the same as his thighs. He looked terrified and drugged, barely able to support his own weight as he lifted himself into sitting up a little. Lance quickly pulled his mask and hood down, revealing himself to Yuu as he scrambled over to the bed. The rabbit hybrid leaned into him heavily as Lance wrapped him up in his arms, the clone trembling softly and clinging to him.

“Shh, you’re okay now sweetie. Nobody will touch you or hurt you ever again.” Yuu looked up at Lance and clung to him tighter.

“Y-You’re really here to save me?” He slurred out, the words just barely coherent. Whatever they had drugged him with was doing a damn good job at keeping him weak and out of it.

“Of course I am,” Lance said softly as he gently ran a hand through Yuu’s hair. The man’s eyes drifted shut and the tension in his body melted away. “I’m going to get you out of here, I swear.” Except Lance didn’t have a plan. With Kuro, it had been easy. He’d already been out and fighting anyway. Yuu wasn’t even capable of standing on his own right now, and there were no doubt guards hidden somewhere in this place that would try to stop him from just running out with the man in his arms. This was going to be difficult. Lance eased himself onto the bed fully and pulled him into his lap, gently petting him as he tried to come up with a plan that would actually work.

He couldn’t help but wish one of the others were there with him. Pidge could have figured something out by now. So could Shiro. If it had been either of them in this mess, they would already be escaping into Blue by now. Lance quickly shook those thoughts off. He couldn’t afford to think like that! He needed to focus on how they were going to escape. He held Yuu a little tighter and petted his back. What could he do? The man was heavy and Lance couldn’t just run out the door with him in his arms. They would most likely end up getting shot well before they reached the stairs. Maybe a distraction would buy them enough time to escape? Did he even have anything he could use as a distraction? Yuu whimpered as Lance started to shift him and he smiled apologetically, kissing his temple.

“Shh, you’re okay sweetie. I’m not leaving you. I just need to be able to get in my pockets.” Yuu calmed down, still clinging to Lance but willingly letting himself be shifted so he was laying against his side as Lance sat back against the headboard. He started searching his pockets, seeing if he had anything that could be useful. He dug around and pulled out a few smoke pellets and a concussive grenade, leftovers from their last fight with pirates. A plan was forming, not a great one but it would have to work. It was all he had. “Yuu, sweetie, are you still with me?” He asked softly and the clone nodded weakly, looking at him with hazy, unfocused eyes. Crap, the drugs seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. It wouldn’t be long until Yuu was unconscious. Lance gently cupped his cheeks, keeping his weak attention on him as much as he could. “Yuu, we’re going to try to leave now. I’m going to carry you and throw these smoke pellets down behind us to give us some cover.” God this was a bad idea. “I want you to hold onto this.” He handed Yuu the grenade. “I want you to press this red button and throw it when I tell you to, okay? Only when I tell you to and only where I tell you to. Can you do that for me?” Yuu nodded and Lance sighed. It was now or never. He picked him up in his arms with a soft grunt, shifting his weight and holding him close.

Lance opened the door and threw the smoke pellets down the hall towards the booth, running in the opposite direction towards the stairs as he could hear several people coughing and shouting jumbled orders to figure out what was going on. He held Yuu tighter and ran as fast as he could, crying out as a blast from a laser hit him in the back. His steps faltered and Yuu held on tighter, whimpering. Lance caught himself and kept running. “Yuu, throw it down the hall!” Yuu shakily obeyed, pressing the button Lance had shown him and throwing the grenade down the hall behind them. He screamed as the grenade went off, the concussion knocking their pursuers down and giving Lance the chance to run safely up the stairs. Blue was waiting right at the door and he ran inside of her, stumbling his way to the bunks. He set Yuu down in the same bed as Kuro and the bunny quickly cuddled up to him, trembling in fright. The grenade had terrified him. Lance would have to remember that loud sounds weren’t good then. He stumbled his way to the pilot’s chair, ignoring the pain from his back and flying them out of there and back to Matt’s base. His rescue missions were a success.


	5. Welcome Home

Getting Yuu and Kuro into the pods wasn’t very difficult. They remembered Matt and, after Lance promised to be there when they got out, they willingly let themselves be prepped and put in. Lance, on the other hand, was fairly resistant to getting put into a pod himself. His armor had taken the brunt of the blast so he wasn’t badly injured. Bruised but nothing he couldn’t handle despite Matt telling him he should go in and let the pod heal it. As far as he was concerned, he had more pressing matters to attend to, mainly getting his home ready for his new roommates. Lance set a timer to go off a little earlier than the clones would be released from their pods and headed home to his farm. He had enough guest bedrooms to convert into their private rooms, so he mainly just had to clean them up and change the sheets. As soon as Lance got home, that was exactly what he did. He also gathered up the belongings left behind by the other Paladins and his family during their visits and sorted them out, putting them in boxes and into his attic to give back whenever they came over. He made sure the rooms were clean and then left for the closest clothing store, buying them each underwear and clothes that should fit them for now. Once they were up to it, he would take them to pick their own clothes.

His timer beeped and he hurried back to Matt’s base. Not even ten minutes after he’d arrived, the pods opened and the clones stumbled out. Instantly, they all seemed to seek Lance out. Ryou and Yuu threw themselves at him and tackled Lance to the ground, startling him. He chuckled softly and gently petted through their hair. “Hello sweeties. How do you feel?”

“Good, much better now,” Yuu replied softly, Ryou nodded in agreement with a happy smile.

“You came back,” he said in awe and Lance gently petted his cow ears.

“Of course I did. I said I would. Now, I have some clothes for all of you in my bag so you can change out of those pod suits. We’re going home.” Kuro watched them warily, tail flickering in mild agitation. Lance noticed and frowned softly, shifting Ryou and Yuu so he could meet Kuro’s gaze directly. “Is something wrong Kuro?”

“Why are you doing so much for us? What do you want from us? Nothing comes free. If you’re going to...use one of us, it should be me. Don’t hurt Ryou or Yuu. They’ve been hurt enough.” Lance’s jaw dropped. Did Kuro really think that Lance had saved them just to own them and use them? Both men in his arms tensed.

“Kuro, Kuro sweetie, I’d _never_ use any of you. I swear. I’ll never do anything to any of you that you don’t want. I won’t ever hurt you.” Lance held his arms out and Kuro scoffed, blushing as he looked away shyly.

“I’m too big for you. Plus, I’d rather we just got out of here. I’m hungry.” Ryou and Yuu looked at Lance with matching, pleading looks.

“Are we allowed to eat?” Yuu asked, shy and stunned as if being allowed to eat wasn’t something they were used to. It tugged at Lance’s heart and he held them a little tighter.

“Of course you are! I’ll start cooking for us as soon as we get home. You all can help me or just explore the house and the farm.”

“You have a farm?” Ryou asked in awe and Lance nodded.

“Yep, with a cow, chickens, and a bunch of different vegetables, flowers, and fruits. It’s very peaceful.” He gently coaxed Ryou and Yuu from his lap and they all stood up. He gave them the clothes he’d brought for them and they quickly changed out of the pod suits, obviously relieved to be free from them. Lance led the way back to Blue and, like with Ryou, guided Yuu and Kuro into forming empathetic bonds with his Lion. Blue was utterly delighted with her new cubs and the bond seemed to make Kuro and Yuu nearly glow with happiness. It was easy to usher everyone into her so they could go home and Lance let Blue take her time so the clones could stare at her screens in open awe at the stars around them. He would have to take them on leisure flights sometimes. They seemed just so enamored with the stars that another flight had to be scheduled soon. Hmm, that actually gave Lance an idea. As they landed near their home, Lance turned to his companions with a soft, gentle smile.

“You each have your own rooms. You can pick which ones you want, okay? If you need anything, and I mean _anything_ , I want you to tell me, okay? That’s one of the important house rules. The other rules are pretty standard. If you make a mess, clean it up. Respect each other’s space and privacy. Be careful in the kitchen with the stove and the knives. Let me know if you’re hurt or sick or if anything is wrong. If you need help, please ask for it. Are those acceptable rules for everyone?” He was met with a chorus of agreement from his three new roommates and his smile grew. “Great! You guys are free to explore. I’m going to start dinner.” He headed back to their home, not surprised that the clones followed him. Kuro disappeared upstairs and Yuu was quick to follow him. Ryou stayed behind Lance though, joining him in the kitchen and washing his hands too. Lance cocked an eyebrow. “Did you want to help me?” Ryou let out a little squeak of surprise and curled up on himself, losing whatever confidence he’d had in his idea. He fidgeted a little and nodded softly, unaware of how seeing him deflate so quickly hurt Lance. He wanted Ryou to feel safe with him, though he knew it would take time.

“I-If that’s okay...”

“Of course it is. Do you know how to cook?” Lance asked softly and the cow hybrid nodded quickly, perking up just a little.

“I do. It was one of the things I was rented out for. Cooking was fun when I wasn’t being hurt to do it or because of it.” Ryou shifted just a little closer, tail tucked nervously between his legs. Hmm, Lance wanted him to feel comfortable and less afraid. How could he get Ryou out of his own head? He glanced around as he stepped aside and started gathering ingredients.

“Ryou, sweetheart, we’re going to make spaghetti and meatballs, garlic knots, and spinach. Can you wash the spinach for me and set a pot out to boil for our noodles?”

“Yes!” He perked up even more and bustled about helping Lance start prepping everything. With just a little more of a nudge, Ryou settled into cooking with him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Lance could see quite clearly that Ryou really did like it. He became more relaxed and happy as they made dinner together. It was nice to see him smiling softly as he worked, tail swaying to the soft music on the radio. Wait...Lance had never turned the radio on. He blinked owlishly and turned to the doorway of the kitchen, going over and peering through into the living room. Kuro and Yuu were there, Yuu leading the large Galra hybrid through what appeared to be a playful attempt at a tango. Lance chuckled softly as Yuu attempted to dip Kuro, who was obviously much too big for the rabbit hybrid to manage but neither cared. He leaned against the door frame, warmth blooming in his chest as he watched them gliding haphazardly through the living room. Kuro’s gaze drifted up and locked with Lance’s, his careless, roguish smile turning just a tad softer and he gave Lance a small nod before dipping a giggling Yuu.

Maybe, just maybe, having the three of them around would be as good for him as it would hopefully be for them.


End file.
